


pent up on finding you

by orphan_account



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gangs, Gun Violence, Kidnapping, M/M, Stockholm Syndrome, Sweetheart Choi Beomgyu, Whipped Choi Soobin, Whipped Choi Yeonjun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:34:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23196382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Yeonjun called him his hope, Beomgyu remembered. He'd describe to Beomgyu what would remind him of Soobin on a daily basis- whether it be the vibrant sun or a four leaf clover- he'd never really stop bringing him up. And Beomgyu didn't mind. He didn't mind at all, on the contrary- it was nice seeing his boss momentarily forget about the ice cold persona he'd lead on, letting his vulnerability slip every time he'd talk about Soobin as if he were his entire world.It was admirable just how in love Yeonjun was.Beomgyu shook his head at the fond memory, a faint smirk planting itself on his lips. "You really miss him, huh?"Yeonjun scoffed at the absurdity of the comment. "That's like asking if the sky is blue."-Choi Yeonjun, fallen into the wrong path of gangs and violence, managed to lose the one person who he truly cared for. Constantly living life with a heavy heart, he gives whoever joins his gang a task of top priority: find Choi Soobin.His attempts were fruitless for years, until he sends Beomgyu to fetch him some chips at a run down convenience store, where he bumps into the boy who his boss is so pent up on finding.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Comments: 25
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

"I remember this place."

Beomgyu quirked an eyebrow, staring at Yeonjun with confusion. 

"What do you mean? This is our first time coming here."

Yeonjun hummed, pursing his lips together as he leisurely made his way around the familiar warehouse, Beomgyu obediently trailing behind him by a few feet.

There were layers of dirt and trash littered here and there, abandoned forklifts and machinery parked left and right. The many windows that once used to be intact years ago were now left broken and shattered. Dim moonlight seeped in through the cracks and reflected against the tiny pieces of glass that were scattered around aimlessly, crunching beneath both Yeonjun's and Beomgyu's shoes as they strolled quietly amongst the dusty old unit.

"This was where I was ambushed by the Kang gang." He spoke, slowing to a stop in front of a particular piece of debris, memories he thought he'd locked up for good suddenly flooding into his train of thought.

"I was only eighteen at the time, about to graduate high school. I was planning on attending the same university my best friend was going to." He stated, wearing a faint smile at the recollection. "We had promised to go together. We'd promised to both get accepted so that we'd never be far from one another."

Yeonjun's eyes were suddenly bleary. "He'd always been very cautious of me. Always loved to worry, constantly telling me to avoid trouble." He added, letting lose a grim chuckle at his own sentence, shaking his head. 

"I never listened, though."

He continued, sighing halfheartedly. "I was careless. He found me one day, in this place, sprawled out on the floor, bloody and bruised."

Yeonjun frowned at the awful memory. "..The Kang gang told on me. They told him everything.. they fed him all these lies and I couldn't even do anything about it; I was in excruciating pain. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak- I could barely breathe. I was an absolute mess." He raised his chin, gaze stoic and cold. 

"Maybe it didn't seem like it at the time, and you can call me crazy if you want, but I lost everything that day, Gyu. I lost  _ him." _

Beomgyu raised his brows at his boss's sudden confession, half lidded eyes widening slightly. It wasn't uncharacteristic of Yeonjun to be like this, he learned, to start opening up so abruptly- but it still felt foreign to him. Like if he was in no place to hear about the other's feelings as they held so much sentiment. He pondered about who this person could've been- who Yeonjun could've possibly lost. 

He spoke wearily, not wanting to set off any fuses. "..By any chance, are you talking about-"

"Soobin." Yeonjun affirmed. "Choi Soobin." 

Beomgyu nodded, a small  _ ahh _ escaping his lips at the quick conformation, putting his doubts at ease. 

Of course it was Soobin, he thought- it would've been concerning if it weren't. That boy was all his boss would ever talk about, remembering the times he'd go through hours upon hours of sincere ranting, spilling out what seemed to be the contents of his entire life story to the latter, not caring if he was taking up the majority of his day.

Yeonjun called him his hope, Beomgyu remembered. He'd describe to Beomgyu what would remind him of Soobin on a daily basis- whether it be the vibrant sun or a four leaf clover- he'd never really stop bringing him up. And Beomgyu didn't mind. He didn't mind at all, on the contrary- it was nice seeing his boss momentarily forget about the ice cold persona he'd lead on, letting his vulnerability slip every time he'd talk about Soobin as if he were his entire world. 

It was admirable just how in love Yeonjun was.

He'd been chasing after Soobin for as long as Beomgyu could remember- for as long as he'd been a part of Yeonjun's gang, at least. He remembered the first day he joined as a hitman, he was immediately given a task of top priority: find Choi Soobin.

Beomgyu had tried his best, going to lengths he didn't even know he could reach. But he soon found that his efforts were fruitless; this Soobin guy was extremely hard to find. He wondered why Yeonjun hadn't given up yet, why he hadn't just said fuck it and chased after someone else. What had the dude done to have his boss so pent up on finding him, anyways? 

Beomgyu remembered the day he had finally mustered up the courage to ask him, expecting to be kicked right in the face and told to mind his own business, to stop being so nosy- but was pleasantly surprised when Yeonjun simply smiled, sighed a breath of relief, and said  _ "I'm glad you asked." _

Beomgyu shook his head at the fond memory, a faint smirk planting itself on his lips. "You really miss him, huh?"

Yeonjun scoffed at the absurdity of the comment. "Of course I do.. but you wanna know what else I miss?"

Beomgyu looked taken aback. "What?"

"Those chips you bought yesterday. You should head over to the same store and buy me some more tomorrow."

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


"Ah, shit.." Beomgyu cursed, staring at the sign in front of him. He groaned, running a hand through his bleached hair in a mix of frustration and utter disbelief.

"Yeonjun's gonna kill me.." He spoke to himself, eyeing the flashing neon CLOSED sign intently, bright colors painfully shining into his line of sight.

He furrowed his brows, a frown appearing on his lips all too quickly as he tried to rationalize with this current situation, wondering why the hell a supposedly acclaimed 24/7 store would be closed at the early hours of 10 PM. It didn't make any sense, really. Who was in charge of this place, anyways? They must've given up on their business, he thought, gazing at the shabby appearance of the small building.

"This is ridiculous.." He mumbled, impatiently tapping his foot.

Sure- normally, such a silly problem shouldn't have mattered this much to Beomgyu. He could've just opted in coming a different day, no big deal. 

But he  _ needed _ to get these chips for his boss since he was practically ordered to, and no other store around Korea offered them- and he  _ really _ didn't want to face the possible repercussions that were to come his way had he decided to come back home empty handed. 

Yeonjun was a good guy, he reassured himself, but once you hit a nerve-

"I'M SORRY TO HAVE KEPT YOU WAITING, SIR!" A booming voice yelled, snapping Beomgyu out of his thoughts in mere seconds, flinching at the sheer amount of volume he'd just been exposed to.

He heard keys frantically jangling immediately afterwards, several  _ sorry's _ spilling from the person handling them.

"..It's fine." Beomgyu said, patiently waiting for the latter to find the correct key and open the double doors that lead inside the store. He took in his appearance as he stood to the side, quietly watching him panic as he anxiously searched through the various bundle of keys he had managed to mix up in the span of a few seconds.

_ Huh _ . Beomgyu thought.  _ He seems familiar. _

He couldn't exactly put a finger as to why, but it was one of those gut feelings that he'd sometimes get- like if he's seen him around before. Where? Beomgyu didn't know, and to be quite frank- it bothered him that he didn't. 

But he had other things to worry about- like getting Yeonjun his chips.

"Ah, there we go.." The boy exclaimed, finally opening the door with a sigh of relief. He turned to face Beomgyu, who stood just a couple feet away, and gave an apologetic bow. 

"I'm sorry if you were waiting here long. Nobody had told me that I was supposed to work the night shift today, so I got here late.." He mumbled, scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment, a bashful smile that reminded him of a little bunny creeping onto his lips. 

"But we're open now!" He blurted, motioning towards the familiar little run down corner store.

"Yeah, I noticed. Thanks, uh.."

"Soobin!" He chirped, pointing to the shiny gold name tag latched onto his breast pocket. "My name's Choi Soobin, if you were wondering. Though most people just call me Binnie."

"Ah." Beomgyu spoke, nodding. "Binnie? What a cute nickna- "

He paused.

_ Wait a second. _

Beomgyu's eyes widened, an absolute avalanche of memories quickly collapsing onto him.

No way.

So  _ this _ was the boy Yeonjun had been looking for for years _.  _ Choi Soobin- the boy who had managed to snatch up his boss's heart and run away with it in the process. The boy who he'd constantly hear about on a daily basis. The boy who he'd been immediately assigned to as a task of top priority. The boy who he'd been searching for.

Choi Soobin, the boy who he'd just  _ found. _

"What about you?" Soobin asked innocently in the midst of Beomgyu's racing thoughts.

Beomgyu blinked, still not entirely processing this whole situation. "Huh?"

"What's your name?"

"Oh.. I'm, uh.." He hesitated, not feeling comfortable enough to disclose his real name. Sure, this might've been the love of his boss's life and all, but he still had an identity to keep. Most people in Korea knew gang members and those associated with them by name, but never by face- and he was positive Soobin had heard of the name  _ Choi Beomgyu  _ at least  _ once _ , right? 

And besides, he didn't want to put him under a bad light, but who knew if the Choi Soobin in the past was the same as the Choi Soobin in the present? 

Beomgyu opted to stay away from any and every potential risks; so he panicked, and the first thing that had come to mind was-

"I'm Charles." He spoke, biting back the urge to cringe at the god awful name choice.

_ Charles?  _ **_Really?_ ** _ Nice one, Beomgyu. _

But Soobin seemed to have easily believed it, eyebrows shooting to the top of his head in surprise. "Charles?" He repeated, testing out the name on his tongue. "Are you a foreigner?"

"..Yeah." Beomgyu lied, thinking that this dude must have a knack for asking way too many unneeded questions, before quickly remembering that this was Soobin he was talking to.

You know..  _ Soobin _ . The same boy who Choi Yeonjun, the most feared gang leader in Korea, kept losing sleep over because he'd always stay up just to talk to Beomgyu. He'd always stay up just to talk about how his Binnie was so outspoken and free spirited.

(maybe that's why he was striking conversation with beomgyu at the nightly hours of 10 PM.)

(no wonder his boss was so pent up on finding him. how endearing, no?)

"I see." Soobin finally said, nodding to himself. He smiled brightly, eyes crinkling at the corners. "Well it's nice to meet you!" He gestured to the double doors beside him. "Stores open now, so feel free to look around."

Beomgyu looked at him skeptically before nodding, and without another word, he strolled right in.


	2. Chapter 2

Beomgyu had been staring at a loaf of bread for five minutes now.

It was the first thing that had caught his eye once he had stepped foot into the familiar run down convenience store, and for whatever reason- it felt _odd_ being there. Maybe it was because it was rather early (well, he wouldn't really consider 10 PM _early_ , but you get the point), or maybe it was because of the circumstances that had brought him to this place. Usually, Yeonjun would send over one of his other not-that-important men to go run errands for him and fetch his cravings, but Beomgyu figured that since he had been on another nightly stroll with his boss, Yeonjun had simply found it easier to ask him to go and buy some chips instead of sending someone else.

Or maybe- just maybe- it was because Soobin was standing at the cash register. Waiting.

Yeah, that was probably it.

Beomgyu couldn't help but feel a bit nervous, what with the position he was in. I mean, how could he not? He had just fulfilled his task of top priority: _ find Choi Soobin.  _

He was positive, though- one hundred percent- that Soobin was absolutely clueless about Yeonjun and his intentions. It's been years- what if Soobin had forgotten about Yeonjun? What if this was merely a one sided search? What if Soobin was living his own life, with no worries to bother him, and no past lovers to plague his mind?

What if this search ultimately proved to be fruitless because Soobin no longer felt the same for Yeonjun as Yeonjun did for Soobin?

These were thoughts Beomgyu didn't want to think about as they arose one too many questions- so he continued eyeing the same loaf of bread he'd been staring at ever since he had walked into this store, mulling over the nutritional facts on the backside of it.

_ Whoa. 80 calories per slice? That's insane. _

"Um, excuse me- Charles?" A voice called out, snapping Beomgyu out of his thoughts. He wouldn't have turned around (since his name is nowhere near  _ charles)  _ had he not remembered the fake name he'd given himself in his foolish state of panic.

The Hitman looked up from the aisle of bread he'd been stationed at, locking eyes with the face he'd seen one too many times tucked into the back of Yeonjun's phone case.

(beomgyu recalled the time yeonjun had taken the liberty of explaining where and when he had taken the  picture . he didn't really remember the exact details, as yeonjun's voice had cracked and wavered along the way, but he managed to remember that it was an amusement park "date".  _ "date" _ because they never actually dated- nor did they ever get closure, and yeonjun has been living with that one regret for  _ years) _

"Just felt like letting you know," Soobin spoke. "Since you've been staring at that bread for a couple minutes now.. there's a sale going on. Buy one loaf of bread, get three free."

Beomgyu scrunched his face in confusion. "Get  _ three  _ free?"

Soobin nodded, silky hair bouncing in waves at the action, a dimpled smile adorning his features. "Yeah, get  _ three  _ free!" He repeated eagerly. "Nobody ever really comes down here to buy bread, they mostly just buy chips and snacks and then leave."

He continued explaining, Beomgyu listening intently. "Management had originally wanted to get rid of the bread aisle altogether, but that would've been a huge waste of money.. so they finalized a decision and ultimately came up with that." Soobin pointed to a poster plastered on the outside of the convenience store. It had a crudely drawn picture of bread, with the words  _ BUY ONE GET THREE FREE  _ messily painted onto it.

Soobin gave a proud expression, wiggling his eyebrows. "How about it? I made it myself."

Beomgyu had to bite the inside of his cheek to avoid laughing. The kid was practically  _ beaming _ . "Wow, you're.. that's a really cute poster."

"Thank you!" Soobin grinned, eyes turning into cute slits, before his face soon fell into a somber expression. "Too bad cute doesn't cut it. No one's bought any bread.." 

He soon perked up again, leaving Beomgyu amazed at just how quickly the latter could change moods. "I've taken advantage of this new sale, though! I love bread, even if it's as plain as a simple loaf. Wanna guess how many loaves of bread I have at home now because of this bargain?"

Beomgyu quirked an eyebrow, caught off guard by the question.

Soobin didn't give him any time to answer. "Sixteen, Charles! I've got _sixteen loaves_ of bread at home!" He giggled at his own outburst, and Beomgyu couldn't help but giggle too. 

(his giggles reminded him of a rubber duck)

"That's a lot." Beomgyu managed to say. "You must  _ really  _ like bread."

"Oh, don't even get me started. My friend Yeonjun actually-" Soobin froze, eyes slightly widening. He looked surprised, almost as if he was shocked to have let that name slip out after years of it being so selfishly locked up in the deepest corners of his heart. 

_ My friend Yeonjun actually introduced me to bread.  _ He had wanted to say. But he no longer knew anybody named Yeonjun. He no longer knew the person who had introduced him to the many wonders of life. He no longer knew the person who had taught him how to take risks and how to speak up, the person who had told him that it was ok to cry because things could get a little bit rough sometimes. The person who had told him to stop worrying about every little thing because burdens didn't sit well on Soobin's shoulders.

He no longer knew anybody named Yeonjun- the person who had taught Soobin how to  _ love. _

Soobin swallowed thickly, letting things sink in in the middle of this rundown convenience store of all places. But he didn't care- he let the weight of all these half forgotten memories come flooding back in at a speed he didn't even know was possible.

_ Yeonjun _ . The name echoed hauntingly in his head.

_ Choi Yeonjun.  _

Such a name would've been otherwise insignificant had it not held a tsunami of bittersweet recollections.

Soobin's vision was beginning to turn hazy. He should probably get back to Beomgyu now.

"Nevermind." He finally said in a wavering voice, not daring to look at Beomgyu in the eyes. He was staring at the freshly waxed floor beneath him, trying to desperately get his mind out of the gutter. "I just-" His voice cracked. "-really like bread."

Beomgyu's brows knitted together in concern.

So Soobin  _ hadn't _ forgotten about Yeonjun.

Beomgyu let out a barely audible sigh, thinking back to all those endless nights he had spent with Yeonjun where he'd be mulling over Soobin and whether or not he still held feelings for him. And in some weird way, it was kind of funny to think about. Those countless nights filled with dark circles, insecurities and crippling doubts- they were all suddenly reduced to nothing more than the epitome of insignificance. Just like that, in the blink of an eye. Untold truths could be terrifying sometimes.

The Hitman ultimately decided it wasn't his place to ask if Soobin was alright or not; he already knew the answer to that question, anyways (and even if he didn't, the look on Soobin's face was foretelling enough. he looked miserable). With one last understanding look directed at the somber boy a few feet away from him, he grabbed some bread and his boss's favorite chips, shortly making his way to the counter upfront where Soobin resided.

Soobin eyed the two things Beomgyu had placed on the counter.

Bread and chips.

_ (yeonjun's _ favorite chips)

He swallowed thickly, quickly scanning the items, not wanting to think about Yeonjun anymore as he rang up Beomgyu's total price. 

"That'll be $6.59.. don't forget to pick up your three free loaves before you go." He mumbled, a strained smile appearing on his lips.

Beomgyu nodded, placing the necessary money in front of Soobin before he grabbed his items. He turned on his heel, scurried over to the bread aisle, and threw three more loaves in his hands before quickly scurrying out of the convenience store, not missing the way Soobin had muttered a broken  _ "take care"  _ once he was already out.

Beomgyu's heart was racing as he stood outside the door; things were finally starting to sink in.

He just found Choi Soobin.

He just  _ found Choi Soobin. _

"I just found Choi Soobin.." He mumbled, almost as if repeating the sentence over and over again in his head wasn't enough to convince himself of the fact that he'd just found  _ Choi Soobin. _

Choi Soobin- the boy that his boss had been searching for for years. Choi Soobin- the boy that Beomgyu, an elite Hitman, deemed virtually impossible to track down, had just been  _ found  _ (and in some place as shady as a corner store).

Choi Soobin- the love of Choi Yeonjun's life.

Beomgyu almost pinched himself. This didn't feel real.

He plopped himself down on one of the near by benches outside the store, placing his bread and chips to the side as he pulled out his phone, quickly dialing a familiar number.

Beomgyu tapped his foot beneath him in pure jitters, waiting as his phone rang.

And rang.

And rang.

And-

_ "Hello? What is it, Beomgyu? Did you get my chi-" _

"I found Soobin." He blurted out, feeling out of breath from the way his heart was pounding in his chest.

There was an awfully long silence on Yeonjun's end.

(yeonjun was panicking)

But Beomgyu stilled, not daring to say another word. He knew Yeonjun was waiting, waiting for the Hitman to say he was kidding. Waiting for him to announce that he didn't mean what he had said and that it was simply a distasteful prank (even though he knew very well that that'd get him killed- joking about soobin meant certain death). 

He was waiting for Beomgyu to elaborate on what he meant- because it couldn't  _ possibly _ be that easy, right? You can't just say you found the one person you've been searching for for the past few years of your life. You can't just drop an emotional load like that on someone because  _ what do you mean you found Soobin?  _

Beomgyu could faintly hear sniffles coming from the other line.

_ "..I'll be over in five."  _ He finally spoke, before briskly hanging up.

Beomgyu sighed to himself, tucking his phone in his pocket. He turned his head to face Soobin, who resided inside the store behind him. He could faintly make out tear marks staining his cheeks.

Beomgyu frowned at the sight. 

(it reminded him of yeonjun)

"Rest easy, Soobin.." Beomgyu spoke to himself, as if the latter inside the store could actually hear him.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"Yeonjun's on his way.. save the tears for when you actually see him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry the ending is kinda rushed. it's 3 am and i wanted to upload this chapter already hdkff

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure if I should make this a chaptered story?? I've got a lot planned for this fanfic, but if it flops I'll pretend I never posted this hajkdkd please leave your thoughts down below, I really appreciate it!!🥺❣️


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